by: Julia H.
All Cadettes
have the option – and are highly encouraged – to complete the Silver Award, a service project that is the highest
award a Cadette can earn. First, you have to complete a Cadette journey (the
MEdia journey, the Breathe journey, or the aMAZE journey). These journeys will
help you start to recognize your surroundings and identify what needs to be
helped in your community. Then, it is time to start your Silver Award!
Before
you start your award, you need to plan what you want to do. There are three
steps that can help you find out what you want to do for your Silver Award.
Service, Self-Passion, and Sustainability are guidelines that can help you find
out what to do and how to do it.
The
first guideline is Service. Whatever you do, it has to have an impact on the
community. The project can be in your Girl Scout community, your school
community, even internationally. Look
around in your community and find what there is a need for. If you notice trash
on the side of the road, start a trash pickup team. If you know of some
elementary school kids who need access to tutoring, start a tutoring program.
Every community has different needs, so look into what you can do.
The
second guideline is Self-Passion. When you are deciding on a project, you need
to enjoy what you are doing. Different people will bring different skills and
connections so think about what you and what others can do. If you notice that
there is a need in the community, but it doesn’t spark a passion, don’t feel like you
have to do that, just pass along the idea. Girl Scout Troop 29345 leader Vonda
Malbrough says, “When selecting a project for the Silver
Award, girls need to find an issue that is important to them.” If you like what you are doing, you will
be more likely to work on your award and you will be more committed to your
project. If you are passionate about gardening, you could create a garden at
your school.
The
last guideline is Sustainability. One of the rules for the Silver Award is that
your project must be sustainable. That includes making something that you or
others can carry on or giving people knowledge that they can remember and
possibly share. One example is starting a program that will keep going annually
or informing people about an issue that you care about. You could also do
something such as designing information packets for new Daisy Girl Scout
leaders. This will be sustainable because the leaders will then grow into
better leaders.
Overall,
when you are choosing your Silver Award, you should try to follow all the
guidelines. Without service, what is the point of your project? Without
self-passion, how will you enjoy your project? Without sustainability, how will
your project truly make a difference? If you follow all of these steps and
remember to always love what you do and make a difference, you are guaranteed
to have a great Silver Award project and have a great time doing it.
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